Evaluation Question 7 - Vicky

7) Looking back on your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt from the progression of it to the full product?











Above, I have embedded both my Preliminary Task and also the final media product; 'Genesis'. This was my first real attempt at using equipment such as the camera and tri-pod, as well as the editing software 'Final Cut Pro'. Naturally, throughout the progression of this task I have learnt a lot of things. This includes things such as planning, shooting, and editing film. From extensive amounts of time spent doing these things, I have improved greatly at using the equipment, and have become very familiar with different elements of the film making process.


Below I have hilighted some issues that are present in my preliminary task, and evidence of improvements that can be seen in the final product.


Issues with Preliminary Task

• Poor titles - I did not fully explore the available features on final cut pro, and due to this I ended up with very simplistic, and unimaginative titles. I do not feel they add anything to the sequence, and I think the lack of motion or any accompanying score leaves them at a low standard.
• Continuity Issues - The tables in the background had been rearranged between shots, meaning the there is a lack of continuity in the final few parts of the sequence
• Editing - I did not take the time to make sure the editing was completely smooth. For example; when Jack is walking through the door and sitting down, the timing in which he takes his bag off does not run smoothly from one shot to another. I should have shortened the clip slightly to make sure it matched perfectly.
• Lack of score - The preliminary task has no kind of score, which adds nothing to the overall experience. I feel I should have experimented with this, as it could have improved it, and I would have also have learned the art of sound editing.
• Sound Levels - Some of the sound levels are too quiet, and should have been adjusted in editing to make sure everything could be heard clearly.

Examples of improvement in final product

• Titles - I took my time when making the titles to explore different effects both on photoshop and final cut pro. Because of this, I was able to edit the font to make it look like running blood, which tied in with the dark themes in the film. I also used an earthquake effect to add movement to the titles, which made it more interesting and gave impact to the title sequence.
• Continuity - I took the time to make sure that the mise en scene was the same in every shot, so there are not issues with continuity
• Editing - I took the time to make sure that the shots were editing smoothly together. I edited shot lengths to the millisecond so that the transitions would run smoothly and there were no bad cuts and repeat of actions in shots.
• Score - In the final product, I made a score to accompany the entire sequence. This was done using soundtrack pro's existing, uncopyrighted music, and also some of our own foley effects. This really added to the overall film, giving an eerie atmosphere and frights in all the right places.
• Sound Levels -  I edited the sound levels in different shots of the film to make them fit in with what was happening on screen, which was very successful in parts.

General skills I have improved on

• During planning and research, I looked into different types of camera shots and what they were used for. I was then able to incorporate this into my final product to give the desired effects in different parts, for example I used a high angle shot to show the girl's apparent vulnerability. The continuity task allowed me to get familiar with the use of camera and tri-pod, which allowed me to set it up safely and strongly for different shots.
• My planning skills also greatly improved after the continuity task. When going into the preliminary task, I had not planned what shots I was going to be, this meant that the process what long and inefficient, and I found myself confused at times. I learnt from this, and when planning the filming for the final product, I wrote up an extensive shot list that included things such as timings, locations and props.
• I also developed better usage of media documents since the continuity task, which helped the organisation and quality of my final product. I learned how to use things such as 'scribd', where I could present a professional looking script and treatment. This was easy to read, and clear to understand, which meant the actors could do their job well. This is a contrast to the preliminary task, where I just wrote down a few notes on paper, which meant there was a lack of direction, hense the poorer quality.
• Since the continuity task, the thing I have most greatly improved on is my knowledge and use of editing software. During the continuity task, I did not fully explore the capabilities of all the different programmes on the mac. This meant that my continuity task was lacking in score, motions, and any sense of spectacle. Whilst in the planning and production stage of the final product, I decided to really try and get to grips with the different programmes. I researched how to do different things and experimented with what I learnt. This enabled me to use different effects on the final product which made it overall more interesting, exciting, and in particular gave more professional looking titles.